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and Summer of 1965. The thirteen month ‘tour of duty’ had been ‘promised’, therefore, it had to be honored. The ‘tour’ for all other military units was twelve months this meant—according to the bureaucrats ( military and civilian )—that too many ‘experienced’ Marine units would be leaving Viet Nam at the same time. This ‘concept’ ignored the fact that new units were arriving throughout the year—those new units were working side by side with the experienced Marine units and gaining combat experience along the way throughout the year and were ‘blending in with no problem—just as we did when we first arrived in Qui Nhon. The concept also ignored one of the most important tenets of the Marine Corps.—unit integrity. The Second Battalion, Seventh Marines had trained together for a full year prior to landing in Viet Nam. Companies and platoons had developed as a team. I knew each Marine in my platoon —personally—and they knew me. This was true in each squad, each platoon, each company and with the Battalion Commander’s staff. We had spirit —Esprit De Corps— respect, loyalty and commitment to each other , our God, our Country and our unit. I could recognize the silhouette of each of my men in the dark—the way they walked—their body language and vice versa. I knew what they could do, how fast they could do it and vice versa—I trusted them and they trusted me—we were tight! I knew who my alternate radio operators were—who my best shots were—who could throw a grenade the furtherest. I knew who my best ‘point’ Marines were. I knew the character of my Marines individually and as a unit. This is what ‘operation mixmaster’ ripped apart and it was a really dumb idea! The comparison can be made to a football team—let’s say you have a winning
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